This invention relates to an apparatus for making cigarette filters that incorporate a centrally located flavored element, which affects the taste of smoke drawn through the filter.
Tobacco smoke filters have been produced that incorporate a flavor agent where the agent is applied uniformly over the filtering material before the filtering material is gathered and shaped to form the filter product. Examples of these conventional filters include a flavored tobacco smoke filter made from bonded cellulose acetate filamentary tow in which a liquid plasticizer such as triacetin is sprayed uniformly over the tow before it is gathered to its final rod form. The flavoring agent is normally dissolved in the liquid plasticizer, and the plasticizer affects the bonding between adjacent filaments.
The International application WO2006/010895 discloses an apparatus for applying an additive to cigarette filter tow material that is in, or exiting, a filter tow funnel. This apparatus comprises a flavor inlet; a valve; and a hollow needle positioned downstream of at least a portion of said filter tow funnel, the needle being in fluid communication controlled by said valve with said flavor inlet, whereby, in use, an additive is delivered by said needle into the path of said filter tow material.